Bush tells Texas troops U.S. role in Iraq diminishing

Bush says U.S. role in Iraq diminishingPresident tells 25,000 soldiers at Fort Hood that war is in a new phase

JULIE MASON, Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Published
5:30 am CDT, Wednesday, April 13, 2005

KILLEEN - Iraqi army, police and security forces for the first time outnumber U.S. troops in Iraq, who increasingly are serving only a supporting role in securing the country, President Bush said Tuesday.

Speaking to 25,000 soldiers on a parade field at Fort Hood, the president said the war in Iraq is entering a new phase.

"Like free people everywhere, Iraqis want to be defended and led by their own countrymen," Bush said. "We will help them achieve this objective so Iraqis can secure their own nation. And then our troops will come home with the honor they have earned."

Fort Hood, the nation's largest active duty military base, is home to the 1st Cavalry Division, now returning from more than a year on duty in Iraq. At least 90 1st Cavalry soldiers have died in combat and noncombat incidents in Iraq.

The 4th Infantry Division, also based at Fort Hood, is preparing to return to Iraq in the fall. Members of the division were part of the March 2003 invasion of Iraq and served there for the war's first year.

"Whether you're coming or going, you are making an enormous difference for the security of our nation and for the peace of the world," said Bush, clad in a green Army jacket.

On arrival, Bush's Marine One helicopter did a fly-around over the soldiers gathered in the field, many of whom waved small American flags.

Bush, who last visited the base on Easter Sunday, timed his speech to the anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. Originally scheduled for last week, the visit was bumped to Tuesday by the death of Pope John Paul II.

Symbol of the invasion

It was on April 9, 2003, or two years ago last Saturday, when a statue of
Saddam Hussein
was dragged from its perch above a public square. The widely photographed event became a symbol of the invasion, and provided an emotional high point in the conflict.

Bush said the toppling of the statue "will be recorded, alongside the fall of the Berlin Wall, as one of the great moments in the history of liberty."

Extolling the achievements of Fort Hood troops, Bush recalled how coalition forces crossed 350 miles of desert to reach Baghdad in 21 days, the fastest armored advance in military history.

It was the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry, led by Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno, who led a raid on a farmhouse in a tiny village called Adwar in Dec. 2003, nabbing former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in a so-called "spider hole."

And "when it came time to drive the terrorists and insurgents from Fallujah, soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division spearheaded the assault," Bush said.

What the "First in Fallujah" found there "reminds us of why we are at war," Bush said. Among other things, they found torture chambers, grisly videos of beheadings, explosive devices and an ice cream truck loaded with bomb-making devices.

'Enormous progress'

Bush initially justified the war by claiming Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, but has subsequently said the purpose of the war was to depose a brutal dictator and set Iraq on course toward democracy. Weapons of mass destruction were never found.

"From the beginning, our goal in Iraq has been to promote Iraqi independence," Bush said. "And in the last two years, Iraqis have made enormous progress toward that goal."

The war in Iraq initially was widely supported by Americans as part of the larger war on terror. But over the past two years, the Iraq war has lost favor and a majority now believe it was a mistake, according to several polls.

'Sending a message'

The soldiers at Fort Hood were largely subdued during Bush's speech, letting out occasional whoops of the Army's "Hoo-ah" cheer when Bush mentioned divisions or achievements by name.

"As the Iraqi democracy succeeds, that success is sending a message from Beirut to Teheran that freedom can be the future of every nation," Bush said. "The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a crushing defeat to the forces of tyranny and terror, a watershed event in the global democratic revolution."

After his speech, Bush, still wearing the jacket with ARMY printed over his heart and "Commander in Chief" printed on his right front, joined soldiers in the lunch line at the Wagon Wheel Inn, the mess hall for the 1st Cavalry.

The president walked through the lunch line with his own tray, flanked by a soldier on each side. He stopped for a soda and headed to join a long table of others with his lunch of fried chicken, macaroni and collard greens.

After lunch, Bush met privately with the families of about 30 soldiers who have been killed in the war. In all, Fort Hood has lost 146 soldiers in Iraq.

The president, who has spent nearly a week away from Washington for the pope's funeral in Rome followed by a long weekend at his Crawford ranch, returns to the White House today.